Tom Marks Interview: Survived 40+ Years in the Ad Biz to a Coming of Age in Retirement
Diana Landau | February 10, 2026
Discovering "the new you" after you retire and defining your true purpose takes many people by surprise. Carl interviews successful advertising executive, best-selling author/speaker and one of the leading voices on Retirement Happiness, Tom Marks.
Tom founded his own advertising agency, TMA+Peritus way back in 1983. He has written the bestseller "The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written" and his latest book is "Coming of Age in Retirement: An Advertising Executive's Story of Enlightenment and Revelation."
Tom was born in Chicago. His mother was a designer with her own company and his father was an advertising executive. His dad's biggest claim to fame was that he was the marketing genius behind Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn. "It was an idyllic childhood," he says. Growing up he always wanted to be in the advertising biz like his father and after graduating from Claremont McKenna College, he founded his own agency. He says he made the mistake of not having any clients at the start. "It was hard in the beginning but once you turn a corner, it's a dream." His clients included McDonald's, Footlocker, Honeywell and California Avocados to name just a few.
After working very long hours and weekends for decades, Tom had a retirement AHA moment. "I just felt like I was losing my mojo. I didn't want to work weekends or nights anymore. I could feel myself slowing down." His transition into retirement did not go well, however. "In a word, it was horrible! I made a lot of mistakes." He tells us he just started doing what other people were doing and lost his individualism. Tom made lots of lists. "I was on a hamster wheel and I needed to get off."
So he consulted friends for suggestions and one said he should write a memoir. "I discovered the writing process was fun for me." His latest best-seller is about finding your own path to happiness in retirement combined with a poignant, funny memoir. Tom lives in Tucson with his wife and has two more books coming out this year.
Tom Mark's Advice to Finding Happiness in (Un)retirement:
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"Be careful about what you read (about retirement.) So many of the books on retirement are about the "how" and not the "why."
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"In retirement, we are no longer defined by our professions. We shouldn't be defined by our possessions. We can be whoever, whatever, whenever we want to be. It's the part of life when individualism is at its greatest opportunity and importance."
• I Used to be Somebody World Tour: Croatia
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
Jillian Johnsrud Interview: Learn How To Take Mini Retirements
Diana Landau | January 13, 2026
How can you retire soon, and often? Carl talks with author/speaker/coach Jillian Johnsrud about the how’s of taking mini-retirements and why they're so good for you. Jillian is the author and host the popular podcast “Retire Often” that helps individuals, companies and financial advisors make sabbaticals a reality—through coaching, consulting and training. Jillian is also an in-demand speaker on the subject of taking multiple mini-retirements.
Jillian grew up in a small town in Montana and after many years away has been back in Montana for over a decade. She grew up in a blue-collar family and she didn't really have big dreams back then. She was an anxious, shy kid with dyslexia. But she says one firm, earnest high school teacher inspired her. She told Jillian, “The spelling doesn’t matter, it’s a low skill set. A better skill set is to be able to tell a good story.” This concept had a huge impact on Jillian.
She worked her way through college, juggling various retail positions. After marrying, living very frugally and saving, she felt she had the financial independence at age 32 to take the leap to become a professional writer. And yes, she also has 5 kids. “I just truly enjoyed the process of writing,” she says, not worrying so much about financial gains from it at that time.
Jillian has personally taken a dozen mini-retirements. She tells us why it's important to do it, and how to create a sabbatical for yourself, including how to talk to your employers, even what to say to your questioning family and friends about it. For example, she says to develop a positive story around your time off, not just the "I'm so stressed out" approach. Think through how it might also work for your employer and how they can manage while you're out and benefit when you get back. She says it may even take a year to plan it. But it can be done!
Jillian says the first mini-retirement she took gave her time to refresh, regroup and find her creativity again. One of her mini-retirements included a 10-week road trip to 10 National Parks with her family. “So often we recognize there’s this window of time to do something, and if we don’t do it now, we will have missed the opportunity.” Now with teens at home, Jillian still finds time to take mini-retirements for extended travel, improving her mental and physical health, and more.
Jillian Johnsrud’s Tips for the Mini-Retirement Life:
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“Give yourself permission to pause from the life you've created. Taking off one, two or three months can change everything—including your perspective and goals for your future.”
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“View your retirement as a non-judgmental science experiment. Try new things, try other things, observe and discover what works best for you.”
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“Schedule some, but less in mini-retirement. Just winging it doesn't work. Experiment with different plans, routines and boundaries to help you realize the outcome you’re looking for.”
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
Fritz Gilbert Interview: Mr. Retirement -- Author of "The Retirement Manifesto"
Diana Landau | October 21, 2025
Ok, this is a BIG DEAL! Carl interviews a retirement legend in this 100th EPISODE!
Carl chose retirement expert/book author/speaker/do-gooder Fritz Gilbert as his 100th podcast guest. Fritz's award-winning blog, The Retirement Manifesto, is focused on helping people achieve a great retirement. Since 2015, Fritz has written 441 articles and 1 million words about how to live your best life in retirement. Fritz retired after more than three decades in corporate America, where he progressed through the various levels of a multinational corporation serving the global aluminum industry. He's still changing lives, read on!
Fritz grew up in the small town of Hillsdale, MI with his parents and two older sisters. His father was a college professor and his mother a teacher. This meant their summers were free to explore the great outdoors, one of Fritz's true passions. It's no surprise that Fritz was a curious, hi-energy kid. He says he wanted to be an NFL punter growing up, then to be a doctor. He attended Wittenberg University in Ohio. He says, "My father always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be." On a whim as a senior, he interviewed with an aluminum industry exec that evolved into a highly successful 33-year career.
Tired of the corporate world's politics, he retired in 2018. But, three years before retirement and this is important, he started thinking and strategizing about what his ideal retirement life would look like in 2015. "I got out at 55," he tells us. He started a blog, which he had never done before and kept on writing. He wrote the 10 Commandments of Retirement, which focuses on attributes to keep in mind daily in retirement, such as; have a great attitude, pursue your passions, stay flexible to change, try new things and more. "I would have never dreamed that 10 years later the blog would become so successful with over 16,000 followers. I was curious and I took that first step!"
He wrote and wrote about not just the financial parts of retirement, but the equally (if not more so) purpose parts of retirement. "I love the relationships I've had too. It's a deep subject, I'm still writing. It's turned into something I love to do." Recently Fritz decided not to do a full-time blog after 10 years so he has time to pursue other passions. He loves to mountain-bike in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, spend time with family, work in the garden, and lots more.
Fritz is also helping his wife with her passion, Freedom for Fido, a community group that builds fencing for low-income families that have dogs chained in the yards. They've built 187 fences in 6 years with the coordination of several hundred volunteers. "It's created this incredible network, we're getting exercise building fences, and I can't even begin to tell you about the impact we're making on the community." Just like that little kid in Hillsdale, Fritz is still high-energy, loving the outdoors and still curious!
Fritz Gilbert's (Un)Retirement advice:
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"Learn to listen and follow your curiosity. Look for things that might interest you and take that step."
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"The path to fulfillment and enjoyment is to just try new things. Do as many as you can. Some will hit and some will miss. But enjoy the ones you like and keep going!"
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The 90-10 Rule: People focus 90% on the financial part before retirement. It's amazing--once you're in retirement, you spend about 10% thinking about the financial part and 90% thinking about what you are going to do now. It's the purpose side of retirement that people need to think about before they retire."
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
Nick Mueller Interview: Mr. World War II Museum - Co-Founder & Former CEO
Diana Landau | June 10, 2025
We must learn from the past to move forward, and Carl's guest this week, Nick Mueller, PhD, has made a huge impact on our world. Nick's "day jobs" as a distinguished teacher, historian, Dean and then Vice Chancellor at the University of New Orleans led him to play a key role in developing learning programs and a University Conference Center in Innsbruck, Austria as well as a UNO Research and Technology Park. But his leading role as the Founding President and CEO of the world-renowned National World War II Museum (and campus) in New Orleans was a remarkable achievement. And he's not done yet.
Nick was born to German immigrant parents in Philadelphia and grew up in Louisville, KY. His father was a Baptist minister and theologian and the family of six traveled the country, often staying with other families. By age 18, Nick says he'd been to 46 U.S. states and 7 countries.
After college, Nick's passion for teaching led to his exemplary career in academia. Everything changed one afternoon in 1990 when Nick and his good friend and colleague, Stephen Ambrose, sat down to discuss creating a National World War II Museum. Stephen was a historian (best selling author and a true celebrity in the day), WWII expert and was finishing a new book. Stephen had located a historical site and had 1,000 oral histories about D-Day. Most importantly, he recognized a huge opportunity to create the museum and knew Nick Mueller could bring the vision to life. Nick adds, "We went broke three times, made a lot of mistakes, we didn't know anything about building a museum, but Steve was so mesmerizing and the board stuck around."
The museum opened in 2000. Thirty-four years and $400 million later, plus steadfast support from Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw, Steven Spielberg and Congress, the well-regarded museum has seven pavilions and is ranked by TripAdvisor as the #3 American museum and #8 worldwide museum to visit. Nick attributes America's part in WWII to resilience and the classic David and Goliath. "It's a powerful, good story that Americans can be proud of and draw strength from."
In 2017, Nick was going to try to retire again but he's been busy writing books, speaking and leading WWII-themed tours in Europe. At 85, he just launched his latest book, "Preserving the Legacy: Creating the National WWII Museum". Nick looks to the future with enthusiasm. "I'm looking forward to however many years I have ahead of me!"
Nick Mueller's (un)retirement advice:
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"I'm trying to simplify my life. My wife would like me to start with my office."
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"I wasn't running anything anymore and that was a huge change. I have no big deadlines now except the ones I set for myself."
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"Everyone says Follow your passion. Your passions are limited by your age and the time you have left to pursue them. So you have to adjust a little bit."
• I Used to be Somebody World Tour: Croatia
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
Meet the (Un)Retirement Experts: Paul Long, Gary Sirak and Dr. Ron Kaiser
Diana Landau | August 27, 2024
We're celebrating the end of summer with a special bonus episode, Meet the (Un)Retirement Experts. It's a little different from the typical I Used to be Somebody episode. Instead of just one guest who's had a really interesting second act, we're talking to 3 great minds in the (un)retirement world. A little twist is that they are from 3 different age perspectives too. Paul is in his 60's, Gary is in his 70's and Ron is in his 80's!
Paul Long
As founder-creator of New Way Forward, Paul helps retired people pursue a new life of relevance, impact and income that is aligned with what they truly want. Paul grew up in Dallas, Texas and says he literally grew up in the radio business, going with his dad to work. He had careers as a TV reporter and TV weathercaster.
After 20 years, Paul pivoted to the production side of the business and founded Paul Long Productions, developing Emmy-award-winning content, executing video, live, events, campaigns and more. In his 50's, Paul noticed more and more people were looking to pivot their lives from the default one to a life that was right for them. Now, as an experienced storyteller and journalist, New Way Forward has given Paul his own fulfillment as he helps people transition and realize their best life.
Paul's Tips on Unretirement:
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"Take some time, self-evaluate, look for relevance and purpose."
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"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
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"Ask yourself: What do I want holistically in my life, not just professionally or about earning income?"
Gary Sirak
Gary is an author, speaker and financial advisor from Canton, Ohio. Growing up his parents struggled financially for years until his dad turned his American dream into a reality, becoming very successful in the insurance business. "I got to see both sides, having a little and a lot," Gary tells us. After graduating from Miami University in Ohio, Gary worked so hard that he realized he was at the peak of his career and he wasn't happy. A friend told him to look back to where he came from. Gary says he had been pushing so hard he never took the time to celebrate his successes. "That really opened up a light I hadn't seen."
He lost some friends almost right after retirement and Gary felt there must be a better way. He wrote the successful book, How to Retire and Not Die, to help others have a better life in retirement. When not consulting, writing or speaking, Gary also enjoys mentoring and writing songs--he's written 35 so far. Gary says, "If I can impact people in a positive way, how important is that!"
Gary's Tips on Unretirement:
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"Look for someone you know who is successfully retired, and take them to lunch, or coffee. I call them 'retirement mentors.' You can learn from them."
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"Have a purpose, a passion, a plan" Stay active, be involved in community service and have financial peace of mind."
Dr. Ron Kaiser, Ph.D.
"Dr. Ron" is 87 and lives in Philadelphia, PA where he is now the Chief Immersion Officer at Better Age. He is a psychologist, coach, author, podcaster, keynote and TEDx speaker. He is author and host of the podcast of REJUVENAGING: The Art and Science of Growing Older with Enthusiasm.
Ron grew up in Minneapolis in a middle-class, close-knit community. He had a successful, decades-long career in psychology, (he's still doing it in addition to everything else), but in his 60's he noticed that some of his peers seemed to thrive after retirement while others thought retirement meant decline. "We've now got the science that people are retiring and living 30 years or more. I felt an obligation to spread the word." He tells us that after he wrote his book, he assumed everything would fall into place, which it did not. "I needed to learn social media, use my voice for good, be more assertive and teach," he says.
Dr. Ron's Unretirement Tips:
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"You have to discipline yourself. When you're retired, you don't have to go somewhere at a certain time, eat at a certain time, etc. But if you want to be productive, the stuff that got you there is the same thing that's going to get you further in life."
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"Age is a number, not an excuse!"
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"If you're looking for purpose, you have to find it within yourself. It's important to set goals through every stage of life."
There's a common thread with these wise guys. They all have a driving force to help people live their best life. How cool is that? 
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.
